Kirsty Muir endured double heartbreak at the Winter Olympics after finishing fourth in the freestyle skiing Big Air final, a week after picking up the same agonising result in the slopestyle event.
The Scot produced a brilliant second run on Monday, scoring 93.00 for a double cork 1620, but was pushed back down to fourth in a high-quality final as multiple skiers landed 1620s – four and a half full rotations.
And she crashed on another ambitious jump in her third and final run, a double 1440 with a tailgrab, and failed to improve on her total score of 174.75 to leave her a little under four points off the podium.
Gold went to Canada’s Megan Oldham, who improved on her slopestyle bronze, with China’s Eileen Gu doubling up on silver medals after achieving the same result in slopestyle. Home favourite Flora Tabanelli took bronze.
Muir said: “I’m a bit up and down at the moment. I’m not really sure how to feel. I put it all out there so I’m really proud of that.
“On the third run, I went for a trick I haven’t landed before so I gave it my all and I am taking that with me.
“It’s a little bit bittersweet but I came into this competition today feeling really grateful and I think I’m still at that point.”
The final was delayed by 75 minutes as a result of a blizzard in Livigno, the Alpine town where the snowsport events are being held, with ground staff frantically shovelling snow and attempting to clear it with leaf blowers.
Conditions improved later in the evening and the organisers gave the all-clear, although snow was still falling heavily as the competitors took to the slope.
21-year-old Muir – who was pipped to the podium by just 0.41 points in last week’s slopestyle competition – qualified in fourth for Monday’s final, with slopestyle medallists Oldham, Gu and Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud ahead of her.
There was more drama as the 12-woman field was reduced to 10 shortly before it began, with two-time slopestyle champion Gremaud and her compatriot Anouk Andraska both withdrawing with minor injuries after crashing in training earlier on Monday. Beijing Big Air bronze medallist Gremaud was stretchered off with a hip injury, while Andraska hurt her wrist.
Even with Gremaud absent getting onto the podium was a difficult task. Muir looked frustrated after completing her first jump, a double 1080 with a mute grab – three full rotations – and her score of 81.75 left her with work to do in a high-scoring field.
With the snowfall increasing by the minute all the athletes opted to go big on their first jumps, and Muir lay in eighth after the first run, with Austria’s Lara Wolf leading with a huge 93.50.
But the Scot laid down a marker with her second, a clean four and a half rotations. She grimaced in anticipation of her score coming in but was all smiled as a 93.00 flashed up, sending her flying up the standings to provisional second.
One of her major rivals, China’s Gu – who has not competed in this event since winning it at the Beijing Olympics – only registered a 61.25 for a messy second jump. But she was back to her usual consistency with a score of 89 in her final run to move into the silver medal position.
Italy’s Tabinelli withstood all the pressure of the home crowd to produce the highest score of the night, 94.25, with her third attempt, piling all the pressure on Muir once again.
A heavy crash on landing put paid to her chances of a medal and Muir – the reigning X Games champion in slopestyle and Big Air bronze medallist – leaves Milano-Cortina with two frustrating fourth places.
The results are however improvements on her debut Games in Beijing, when she finished fifth in slopestyle and eighth in Big Air.
Oldham was the last competitor to go on the final run and attempted a huge trick on her victory lap, a switch left double 14 mute grab. She fell in the attempt but had already sewn up her first Olympic gold, and was immediately mobbed by teammates in the finish area.
